Pronunciation

How to pronounce “worked

“worked” is pronounced /wɝkt/ (WURKT) in American English and /wɜːkt/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “worked” in one beat

Say it like this

worked

/wɝkt/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /wɜːkt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. workedwɝkt
IPA (American)
/wɝkt/
IPA (British)
/wɜːkt/
Respelling
WURKT
Syllables
1 — worked
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /wɝkt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/wɝkt/

British

/wɜːkt/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “worked” means

  1. verb

    exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

    I will work hard to improve my grades

  2. verb

    be employed

    Is your husband working again?

  3. verb

    have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected

    The voting process doesn't work as well as people thought

Say it in a sentence

He worked late every night during the busy season.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

worked”, answered

How do you pronounce “worked”?

“worked” is pronounced /wɝkt/ (WURKT) in American English and /wɜːkt/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /wɝkt/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “worked” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /wɝkt/ — a single beat.

Is “worked” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /wɝkt/ (WURKT); British English says /wɜːkt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “worked” mean?

As a verb: exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity For example: “I will work hard to improve my grades” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “worked”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /wɝkt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “worked” and see every sound

Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.